Domenico Angelo
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Domenico Angelo (1716
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
,
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...
– 1802, Twickenham, England), was an Italian sword and fencing master who became the celebrated swordsman of mid-eighteenth English society. He earned fame not only with his brilliant skills as a swordsman but also because of his famous fencing school in Soho Square, London. He was also the founder of the Angelo Family of fencers. He has been praised as "the first to emphasize fencing as a means of developing health, poise, and grace. As a result of his insight and influence, fencing changed from an art of war to a sport."


Early life

Angelo Domenico Malevolti Tremamondo was born in Leghorn in 1716 as son of Giacomo Tremamondo, a wealthy local merchant who carried out his business in via del Giardino, and of a Neapolitan
marquess A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...
, Caterina Angela Malevolti. His father had been born in 1688 in
Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...
, but he moved to Leghorn because it was then a thriving commercial port of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...
. His father Giacomo was already a resident of Leghorn on 3 December 1713, as evidenced by his marriage certificate in the cathedral of Leghorn, a document cited in an English volume on the ancestors of his son Angelo, who was born three years after his father's marriage, in 1716 and was trained in the discipline of fencing from an early age. Angelo received his initial training in the Italian method of fencing in
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and he immediately showed an excellent propensity. At the time, this discipline was not only sporting, but was also considered an important defense weapon. In the town of Leghorn and a bit throughout
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
he had perhaps faced too many duels which ended tragically for his adversaries and therefore he deemed it appropriate to move abroad to escape the revenge of the relatives of his victims.


Travels

Angelo moved to Paris at the age of 27, with an eye to taking over the family business, but instead gained fencing skills when he attended the famous fencing school of Bertrand Teillagorry. Angelo studied the classical French style with the
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
at the Royal Association of Masters of Yielding Weapons of the City and Suburbs of Paris under the guidance of Teillagory, who also trained Chevalier d'Éon. In 1750, he began an affair with a well-known English actress
Peg Woffington Margaret Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760), was an Irish actress and socialite of the Georgian era. Early life Woffington was born of humble origins in Dublin, Ireland yet excelled in playing women from the upper classes. Her f ...
, who was on tour in Paris, and accompanied her back to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. However, the affair cooled and on 5 February 1755, he instead married the 17-year-old Elizabeth Johnson (1738–1805), with whom he had several children.


Fencing tuition

In London, he quickly established his reputation as an excellent swordsman, expert fencer, and undisputed winner of many duels, and therefore, he eventually gained the patronage of
Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke (3 July 173426 January 1794) was a British military officer, politician and courtier who served as Lord of the Bedchamber from 1761 to 1763. He was renowned for his skill in horse training. Captain James Coo ...
, and three years later, in 1758, Angelo became a fencing master of the British royal family after he gained the patronage of the dowager Princess of Wales, who appointed him as riding and fencing master to George, Prince of Wales, and his brother
Edward, duke of York Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415), known as the Earl of Rutland between 1390 and 1397 and again between 1399 and 1402 and as the Duke of Aumale between 1397 and 1399, was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was ...
. By then he already had established a fencing school, Angelo's School of Arms in Carlisle House,
Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Thanks to his skill of Master Angelo, as he was named in England, his school immediately became famous and was attended over the years by the most illustrious personalities of the British capital of the time, such as the painters
Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...
,
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...
and
George Stubbs George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. Self-trained, Stubbs learnt his skills independently from other great artists of the 18th century such as Joshua Reynolds and Thoma ...
, the actor
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...
, as well as
Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...
, the Chevalier d'Éon, and the future King
William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
. His school was also famous for accepting female students, some of whom were actresses from London theatres who first accompanied their male colleagues and then decided to take lessons. In 1760, Angelo handed over his school to a son, and established himself at the prestigious
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
, where his family continued to teach fencing for three more generations. In the second half of the 19th century, Angelo's school was still run by his descendants. In 1763 he bought Carlisle House,
Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park leasehold estate, let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II of Engla ...
, where he taught the aristocracy the fashionable art of
swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to an ...
. One of his tenants there was the composer
Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (5 September 1735 – 1 January 1782) was a German composer of the Classical era, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He received his early musical training from his father, and later from his half-brother, Carl ...
, youngest son of
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
and harpsichord instructor to the Queen. With the help of artist Gwyn Delin, he had a fencing instruction book, ''L'École des armes' (), published in England in 1763, which included colorful didactic sketches by London's most accomplished illustrators, with 25 engraved plates demonstrating the various classic positions and techniques from the old schools of fencing. It was published in French and then also in English, and some historians have suggested that the Chevalier d'Éon, who had joined Angelo in London, may have assisted with the French text. This placed its "emphasis on fencing as a source of gentlemanly exercise rather than as a necessary preparation for duel". This folio very successful in its time and a collector's item today. Angelo's teaching methods, while not original, were methodical and solid, employing a combination of moves that were useful for both practice and dueling.


Family

Angelo was the founder of the Angelo Family, a
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
of fencing masters who "dominated Europe's fencing scene for well over 100 years", according to fencing master
Nick Evangelista Nick Evangelista (born 1949) is a fencer, author, and magazine publisher. He teaches the classical French school of fencing in Springfield, Missouri. He also teaches the Missouri State University Fencing Society. He was trained by Olympic fencer ...
. By his wife Elizabeth Johnson, Angelo had at least six children: # Henry Charles William, born 5 April 1756. Also a fencing master, father of
Henry Charles Angelo the Younger Henry Charles Angelo the Younger (1780-1852) was a British master of fencing, part of the Angelo Family of fencers. Early life Henry was born in 1780''Paths of Glory'', The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, London, 1997, p. 10. to Henry Angelo (1 ...
. #Florella Sophia, born 1759, Dame at Eton. #Anne Caroline Eliza, born 1763. #Catherine Elizabeth, born 1766, married to Mark Drury, Second Master at
Harrow school Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...
, and brother of
Joseph Drury Joseph Drury (11 February 1750 – 9 January 1834) was Head Master of Harrow School 1785–1805, and first of a dynasty of Drurys to teach at Harrow. Life Drury was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. Admitted to Trinit ...
, Headmaster of Harrow. She was mother to
William James Joseph Drury William James Joseph Drury (1791–1878) was an English cleric and schoolmaster, who became chaplain to Leopold I of Belgium, and tutor to his son, the future Leopold II, King of the Belgians, Leopold II. Early life He was the son of the Rev. Ma ...
. #Elizabeth Tremamondo, born 1768. #George Xavier Tremamondo, born 1773. There was perhaps also a son called Michael Angelo.


Death

After serving as the fencing teacher at the prestigious Eton college for several years, Angelo died in the city of Eton at his daughter Florella's house at Twickenham on 11 July 1802, at the venerable age of 85. His son Henry replaced him in the direction of the family fencing school in 1780.


Legacy

*The play "Tremamondo - The Angel of Fencing", written by
Alberto Bona Alberto Bona (born 7 November 1978) is an Italian actor, playwright, film director and multiple Pennyfarthing Guinness World Records holder. Biography Alberto Bona started his career as a cartoonist in Italy, before moving to London, where he s ...
and directed by Giampaolo Zennaro, was staged at the Teatro Carlo Goldoni, in Domenico Angelo's native town of Leghorn.


References


Works cited

*


External links

*Fencers of Fame and Fiction, Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewski, B.F.A.
Swynnerton, C. in Barron, O. (ed) ''The Ancestor'', Number 8 1904 (pp 1-73)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelo, Domenico 1716 births 1802 deaths 18th-century sportspeople Italian male fencers Fencers from Livorno
Domenico Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to: People * Domenico Alfani, Italian painter * Domenico Allegri, Italian composer * Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster * Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter * Domenico Auria, Italian a ...
Grand Duchy of Tuscany people Immigrants to the Kingdom of Great Britain